The ASEAN Centre for Energy and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), are jointly hosting ASEAN-India High-Level Conference on Renewable Energy (RE) on 7-8 February 2022, in a virtual format. The theme for the Conference is ‘Experience and Innovations for Integrated Renewables Market’. 

This prestigious conference was attended by ASEAN and India Energy Ministers and Senior Officials. As the Chair of ASEAN in 2022, Cambodia was represented by H.E. Tun Lean, Secretary of State, Ministry of Mines and Energy. In his remarks, he mentioned that Cambodia have been updating energy efficient policy and identifying investment plans and business models based on market by sectors for market transformation.  

H.E. Shri Bhagwanth Kuba, Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India pointed out that past renewable energy projects have proven how ASEAN and India can leverage mutual benefits through international cooperation. 

Commented on that, Hon. Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Md Hussein, Minister of Energy, Brunei Darussalam welcomed the cooperation of research, development and deployment of renewable energy technology and large-scale battery storage systems, clean energy financing policy and the exchange of knowledge and best practices to support energy transitions.  

H.E. Mr. U Aung Than Oo, Union Minister for Electricity and Energy, Myanmar said, “We are planning to upgrade Myanmar’s grid system into a smart grid system. On the other hand, we are considering power trading projects with neighbouring countries: Lao PDR, Thailand, China and India to fulfil domestic and regional electricity demand”.  

Echoing on that, H.E. Mr. Alfonso G. Cusi, Secretary, Department of Energy, Philippines stated, “Our policy will be revitalising our geothermal energy sector by allowing 100% foreign participation in large-scale geothermal projects under financial and technical assistance agreements”.  

H.E. Dr. Daovong Phonekeo, Minister of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR; H.E. Mr. Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Minister of Energy, Thailand; and Mr Ego Syahrial, Secretary General, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia, also highlighted the commitment of their respective countries to the advancement of renewable energy in the region as the pathway to enhance energy resilience and improve energy security, which form a foundation in accelerating energy transition.  

H.E. Shri Raj Kumar Singh, Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, India advocates for dual benefits of multi-lateral international collaboration between India and ASEAN to create a manufacturing hub through knowledge sharing, technical assistance and capacity building. Speaking about the event, Dr Vibha Dhawan, the Director-General of TERI said, “TERI has contributed to this partnership through installation of biomass gasifiers in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and other countries“.  

To close the two days conference, H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General (Economic), ASEAN Secretariat delivered his speech on the way forward on regional collaboration, “We are very pleased with the cooperation in the last two days. Both India and ASEAN have the same agenda into modernising grid networks. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but it is a very exciting idea”. 

Elaborating on the programme of the event, Dr Nuki Agya Utama, the Executive Director of ACE, shared his thoughts, “ASEAN could adapt the experiences and best practices from India, and the application of innovative technologies, eventually to create bilateral and multilateral cooperation with India to expand the ASEAN Power Grid and to accomplish renewable energy target by 2025 and beyond”.  

Renewable energy contributes to the acceleration of the energy transition, supports climate change efforts and helps meet sustainable development goals. Attended by almost 1500 participants globally, the ASEAN-India High Level Conference on Renewable Energy provided a platform for peer-to-peer discussions on technology, policy and regulatory frameworks amongst experts from governments, academia, electrical utilities and industry from the ASEAN Member States and India.  

Moving forward, ASEAN and India will continue to collaborate in accelerating the deployment of renewable energy in the region, particularly to support the achievement of the regional aspirational target under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC Phase II: 2021-2025) of 23% RE share in Total Primary Energy Supply by 2025.